DAYTON, Ohio (Oct. 7, 2023) – The Loyola University Chicago men's soccer team battled back from a 3-0 deficit and scored a trio of unanswered goals to earn a road draw with Dayton Saturday evening at Baujan Field. The Ramblers remain undefeated on the road this season and secured a point in Atlantic 10 play.
"The thing that sticks out is the response from our guys after going down three goals on a road and not having things go the way we wanted in the first half," said head Loyola Chicago soccer coach
Steve Bode. "We talked a lot about at halftime being more dangerous and taking chances, taking risks and having more shots,"
How it Happened
The first half belonged to the home team as Dayton (4-6-3, 2-1-2) took a 3-0 lead through the first 45 minutes. The Flyers notched goals in the 22
nd, 29
th, and 41
st minutes of play.
However,
John Gates' strike just before the halftime horn put Loyola (6-2-3, 2-1-2) on the board. Gates sunk his goal after
Quinten Blair lined up for a free kick 10 yards outside of Dayton's box. His cross ricocheted in front of the goal before Gates, with one touch, sent the ball off Dario Caetano's, the Flyer's keeper, gloves and into the net.
Coming out of the break in the 59
th minute of action,
Oscar Dueso teed up
Marc Torrellas from deep, setting up the Ramblers' second goal of the evening. Torrellas took a touch and launched the ball into the top shelf of Dayton's net, bringing Loyola Chicago within one.
From there, LUC fended off four Dayton shot attempts before
Julian Cisneros leveled the contest, 3-3, in the 75
th minute. Torrellas fed Cisneros a pass inside the box, giving the defending midfielder an opening after a quick touch. Cisneros slipped the ball past a diving Caetano and into the net.
The Maroon and Gold logged five more shots through the final 15 minutes of play. Dayton also attempted five shots, including one which showcased
Aidan Crawford's exceptional goalie skills, but none entered the goal. In the end, the two teams battled to a 3-3 draw.
Notes
- The Ramblers remain undefeated on the road this season (4-0-2).
- Tonight was the first match of 2023 in which Loyola was out-shot by its opponent (18-20).
- Although he didn't score tonight, freshman Ethan Young had a team-high five shots, including two on-goal, to etch a new career best.
- Gates' goal was his third of the year while his season point total was inflated to 11.
- Cisneros' goal was his first of the year and eighth total.
- Torrellas' two goals and three assists on the season make the captain's point total seven.
- Crawford's six saves between the pipes marked a new career high.
Up Next
After back-to-back road matches, the squad will regroup and have a week to prepare to host league-leading Saint Louis next Saturday (Oct. 14) at Loyola Soccer Park. Kick off is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT at Hoyne Field.
"I think the rest will be huge. Having a week to catch our breath and actually practice a little bit instead of preparing for a game or recovering from a game. The Saint Louis game will be a great game and another great A-10 matchup for sure. We get another top-team next Saturday and we'll relish the opportunity and get after it."
